Taylor Swift became one of country's brightest (and youngest) faces in
2006, when the 16-year-old released her first album. Although new to
the American public, Swift had been performing since her preteen years
in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where she first took the stage as part of
a children's theater troupe. Encouraged by the troupe's manager to
pursue music instead, Swift began performing karaoke songs at a local
mall, with open-mike gigs following shortly thereafter. She sang "The
Star-Spangled Banner" before a Philadelphia 76ers game
at the age of 11; the following year, she began practicing the guitar
several hours each day, modeling her early songwriting attempts on
crossover artists like Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. Swift's
parents realized her dedication and began making regular visits to
Nashville, Tennessee, where Swift could perform casually and meet with
songwriters in the area. The family then decided to move to an outlying
Nashville suburb, which accelerated Swift's career.
While performing at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville,
Swift caught the eye of music industry veteran Scott Borchetta, who
signed her to his newly formed label. Swift joined the roster at Big
Machine Records and released her debut single, "Tim McGraw," in August
2006. The song drew upon her experience as a lovelorn high-school
student, a theme that Swift revisited throughout her self-titled debut
album. Released in late 2006, Taylor Swift catapulted the young
songwriter to stardom, spawned a handful of hits (five consecutive Top
Ten singles, a new record for a female solo artist), and earned
multi-platinum status. Swift also received a Grammy nomination for Best
New Artist, an award she ultimately lost to Amy Winehouse. Two
subsequent EPs -- Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday
Collection and Beautiful Eyes -- helped maintain Swift's popularity
while she worked on another album, which arrived in November 2008.
Swift's debut record made her a queen in the country world, but 2008's
Fearless positioned her as the year's biggest star of "any" genre. The
sophomore album went gold during its first week of
release; combined with the sales of its predecessor, it also made Swift
the highest-grossing artist of 2008. The accolades increased in 2009,
when Fearless went multi-platinum and took home two ACM awards, five
American Music Awards, five CMAs, two CMTs, and a controversial trophy
at the MTV Video Music Awards (Kanye West infamously stormed the stage
during Swift's acceptance speech to throw his support to Beyoncé,
claiming she deserved the award instead). Meanwhile, "You Belong with
Me" peaked at number two on the pop
charts, officially cementing Swift's status as a crossover artist. By
the time 2009 drew to a close, Fearless had sold nearly six million
copies in America alone, making it the year's best-selling album.
Swift kicked off the new year by contributing two songs to the
"Valentine's Day" soundtrack. She also made a cameo in the film,
playing the high-school sweetheart of her real-life boyfriend, Taylor
Lautner. Swift then focused her attention on wrapping up her third
album, Speak Now, which she'd written entirely on her own throughout
the two previous years. The album debuted at number one on the
Billboard Top 200 chart, and by August 2011 had sold over five and a
half million copies worldwide; it would later win two Grammy Awards for
its single "Mean." That same year, Swift released her first live album,
World Tour Live: Speak Now.
Swift decided to turn her fourth album, Red, into something of a sonic
departure, working with Max Martin -- best known for his collaborations
with Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys -- for its lead
single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Its pop sheen
signaled a departure, as did the presence of such collaborators as Dan
Wilson, Mark Foster, and Butch Walker. Red was released on October 22,
2012.
Description provided by artist representative